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Market Analysis: Electrosurgical Units

The development of thermally based surgical systems and instrumentation has advanced surgery in recent years. Thermal energy is now used in general surgery as a substitute for the knife or scalpel for improved control of blood flow, or hemostasis.

Tue Feb 01 2011By Medical Dealer Magazine

The development of thermally based surgical systems and instrumentation has advanced surgery in recent years. Thermal energy is now used in general surgery as a substitute for the knife or scalpel for improved control of blood flow, or hemostasis. In electrosurgical procedures, high frequency electric currents (around 500 kHz) are emitted from an electrosurgical unit, allowing tissues and blood vessels to undergo cutting, clotting and dehydration with minimal blood loss.

Areas where the use of electrosurgical units is particularly common include open and laparoscopic/minimally invasive general surgery as well as specialty areas, including cardiovascular, cosmetic/reconstructive, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, arthroscopic/orthopedic and urologic surgery.

Global electrosurgical market

In 2008, the value of the global electrosurgical devices market was estimated at $767.9 million, and this is predicted to grow by 6.5 percent annually to reach $1,196.5 million by 2015. This growth will largely be driven by increasing demands for minimally invasive surgeries and cosmetic procedures, as well as an increase in surgical procedures related to a rapidly aging population, and to the rising incidence of lifestyle-related clinical conditions (obesity, gall bladder and pancreatic diseases) that require surgical intervention. These factors will all combine to encourage continued growth in the electrosurgical devices market.

Among minimally invasive surgeries, laparoscopic hysterectomy has been the major contributor to growth in electrosurgical devices. As the number of hysterectomy procedures is expected to continue to increase in the future, due to the increased incidence of cervical cancer and uterine fibroids, this segment is expected to continue to grow. In the future, however, it is cosmetic surgery that is predicted to be the major driver for growth in the overall electrosurgical devices market.

Novel technologies are also supporting growth in the market for electrosurgical devices. The introduction of electrosurgical units and accessories specific to a certain type of surgery, including gynecology or urology, for example, is expected to boost the sales of specialist surgical packages.

Key players

Key global players in the electrosurgical devices market include ArthroCare Corporation; Boston Scientific Corporation; ConMed Corporation; Cytyc Corporation; Gyrus Medical, Inc./Gyrus Group PLC; Intact Medical Corporation; Johnson & Johnson; Medtronic, Inc; MEGADYNE Medical Products, Inc; Novasys Medical, Inc; RITA Medical Systems, Inc; Syneron Medical LTD; Thermage, Inc; Valleylab, Inc./Tyco International LTD; Urologix, Inc; and VNUS Medical Technologies, Inc.

Disposable devices

The use of disposable electrosurgical devices has become more popular over recent years due to an increased concern among both electrosurgical device companies and consumers about the potential spread of communicable diseases during surgery.

Device to device, reusable accessories are much more expensive than their disposable counterparts. One consequence of this is that disposable medical devices are reportedly being recycled in up to one-fifth of hospitals, particularly in European countries. For this reason, medical technology companies are urging the authorities for changes to the existing regulations concerning the reprocessing of these medical devices. A review from the European Union’s Medical Devices Directive is expected to introduce regulatory changes that will promote the adoption of disposable surgical devices, including electrosurgical devices. This will have a profound impact on the disposables segment within market the overall electrosurgical market.

U.S. market

In 2005, the U.S. market for electrosurgery products, including generators, instruments/accessories and thermal ligature and specialized products was estimated at approximately $1 billion, growing at a compound annual rate of approximately 3.9 percent to reach nearly $1.2 billion by 2010. General and specialty procedures described in the traditional electrosurgery segment grew to nearly 20 million procedures annually in 2010, from a total of approximately 17 million in 2005.
 

European market

The market in European electrosurgical devices is predicted to grow from $171.6 million in 2004 to $247.2 million by 2011. As elsewhere, this growth will be driven by a number of complementary trends, including the increased popularity of minimally invasive surgical techniques and increased adoption of day surgery.

Market challenges

A significant challenge faced by manufacturers of electrosurgical device is the low level of awareness concerning the effectiveness of electrosurgery as an alternative to traditional, cold-steel surgical techniques among some surgeons. There is a danger that surgeons will remain reliant on traditional surgical methods, leading to a reduction in interest from the new generation of surgeons and a resulting stagnation in sales. In addition, customers appear to demand particularly high levels of after-sales and service support in this market, making it increasingly difficult for manufacturers to meet expectations. This makes it particularly hard for smaller companies who lack the geographic coverage or staffing capabilities required to survive.

Conclusions

The market for electrosurgical devices is currently strong and is predicted to continue to grow. Growth will largely be driven by an increased demand for minimally invasive procedures and cosmetic surgery. Although surgeons’ slow acceptance of electrosurgery devices will continue to be a challenge, the strong pipeline of technologically innovative and cost effective products is predicted to ensure the market will grow at a steady pace.

Sources
Medtechinsight. U.S. Markets for Electrosurgical and Thermal Ablation Products. 2006.

GlobalData. Electrosurgical Devices Pipeline Technology and Market Forecasts to 2015. 2009.

Life science intelligence. US Markets for Electrosurgical and thermal ablation products. 2006.

GlobalData. United Kingdom Surgical Equipment Market Outlook to 2016. 2010.

Orginal Artilcle first published in Medical Dealer Magazine

 

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